Her Photo On The Wall
by Mew Mew Author Cutie
Summary: The Crystal Gems and Greg are having trouble coping with the death of Rose Quartz. A certain piece of art is all they have left of her.
1. First Glance

**_Howdy! _****_Here's one I actually plan to finish~ The reason I haven't updated some stories is because my computer is no longer working right, and I had a lot of content on it. Like, a lot. Now the writers block is messing everything up. Plus, I've been really busy with school. Gomennasai! The chapters might be a little short, but who cares, it has more than 700 words this time. Enjoy~_**

**\- - -**

"Alrighty, what do ya think?" Vidalia revealed her painting to her subject and her eager partner. On the canvas was a beautiful portrait of Rose Quartz.

"Oh, it's perfect! Isn't it, Greg?" The human nodded in response.

"Thank you so much! I was afraid we'd never get it done in time..." Rose placed a hand on her bulging stomach. "Any day now, this will be all that's left, a memory..."

"Well, glad ya like it!" Vidalia got on her knees, opening her arms, awaiting her wobbly little son's arrival. "Hi Sour Cream!"

The child, still not used to walking on two legs, stumbled into his mother's arms. She picked him up and stood.

"Turn it around!" Vidalia said. Rose turned the picture, so Sour Cream could see it.

"So, how'd mommy do this time?"

The child studied it, before giving his rating. "Meh."

"Ha! I'll take it!" Vidalia laughed, ignoring Sour Cream who was now tugging at her hair. "You should show the others, they're probably getting impatient. It's been like, more than an hour at least. Plus, I have a waiting list of alien rock ladies that need to be portrayed."

"Yeah, thanks V. It... it really means a lot to all of us." Greg wiped at his eye. Vidalia let out an exxagerated groan.

"Go be emotionally honest elsewhere, will ya? It's SO annoying!"

Greg stood, wrapping an arm around Rose. "Fine, we're going, sheesh. See you soon, I guess." The couple exited the garage, gaining the attention of the waiting gems.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Pearl gushed when she saw the portrait. Garnet peered over her shoulder, visorless, and smiled, which she had very seldom done since learning of Rose's pregnancy. Amethyst had already disappeared into Vidalia's home.

"I know! It's so amazing how humans can so beautifully replicate objects and living things in so many different ways!" Rose said.

Pearl sighed. "Yes, it... it is... quite amazing." Her gaze fell to her feet. Rose's normally infectious smile only made Garnet and Pearl want to cry. They envied their leader's ability to stay so positive in such an awful situation. But they still had to just smile and play along.

"We could probably keep it in the storage unit, if that works for you guys, at least until you guys don't... live in a cave..." Greg broke the silence that had ensued. "I think I have the perfect frame for it."

Rose gasped. "Oh, show me!" Soon, the couple had left in Greg's van. Pearl collapsed into Garnet's arms, sobbing into her chest. Garnet's counterparts comforted each other, resulting in her mumbling and crying to herself. The outburst earned them many concerned stares, not that they cared right now. Rose wouldn't understand what she was doing, even when it was too late.


	2. They Just Don't Care

"Ok, you can move now. Just adding a few final touches."

Amethyst hopped down from the stool, ruffling the hair of the toddler at her feet.

"Hey bud," She mumbled. He followed her to Vidalia's side.

"I'll add it to the collection." Vidalia placed the portrait with the other paintings of Amethyst crowding the room. "How about I make some noodles or something? Fun fact, artists get hungry too." Amethyst nodded, following Vidalia and her look-alike son into the kitchen, where Vidalia proceeded to put water on the stove to boil.

"So, how's life?" She asked as she sat down.

"It's... okay. Fine." The gem gave a half-hearted smile.

"No," Vidalia frowned. "It's not. You know, don't you? I can tell when you're upset."

Amethyst shook her head, her hair falling into her face. "I'm fine. It doesn't matter how I feel. It just matters how Rose feels!" Her cheeks darkened as tears trickled down one side of her face.

Vidalia sighed. "Amethyst, of course it matters how you feel." She turned off the stove and removed Sour Cream from his chair. "Wait here, 'kay?" She disappeared, and came back with no child. "So, when did they tell you?"

"They didn't," Amethyst whispered, burying her head in her arms.

"Huh?"

"They never bothered to tell me at all!" Amethyst yelled before breaking into sobs. "They never tell me anything and then they expect me to be fine when something horrible happens!"

"Oh boy..." Vidalia stood and went to comfort her friend. "Talk to me. I wanna know how you feel whether they do or not."

"I...I feel like they don't care about anyone but themselves and Rose! I-I feel like they don't even want me here! I'm only here because ROSE wanted me to be! I hate Pearl! I hate Garnet! Why can't I just disappear!? Them everyone would be happy!"

Vidalia wouldn't tell her that she didn't mean it. She'd figure it out for herself in time. Instead, she just provided verbal and physical comfort and lots of tissues.

"How'd you find out if no one told you?" Vidalia dared to query. She knew that letting everything out was the best course of action.

Amethyst had calmed down quite a bit. She took a deep breath and spoke. "Well, I saw Garnet go into Greg's van, and they shut the doors. I only listened in 'cuz I heard him crying. She was explaining what would happen. To him. Not me."

"You're gonna tell them how you feel."

"What? How?"

"Just do it! Don't sugarcoat it. Don't cry. Just say what you have to and walk away. After that, just focus on forgiving them."

"But... what if I can't forgive them?" Amethyst murmured.

"You will eventually."

The two sat in silence, Amethyst contemplating how she would tell them, before Vidalia spoke up.

"Ya know... if you did disappear, it would totally suck for me. I can't imagine having to start painting Professional Beach Hunk Gregory."

At this, Amethyst let loose giggling, and it turned into a fit of laughter where the good kind of tears form waterfalls on your face. It took he a while to regain her composure.

"Ahh, thanks V, for giving a crap."

"No prob."


	3. Unstable

"Knock knock."

A startled Greg dropped his book on parenting, which was long overdue. Garnet peered through the window of the van at him. He opened the door, surprised. She just looked... off. Was Garnet... upset? He invited her in.

"Howdy."

"Hey Garnet, what's up?" He asked her, tone cheery.

Garnet let out a shaky sigh. "There's something you need t-to know. We thought it would be best if I told you."

Nervous, Greg nodded. "Alright...?"

"It's about Rose's pregnancy, Greg. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Ah jeez, I don't like this already. Does she... like, she'll survive this and everything, right?"

Her visor disappeared in a flash of magic. "Greg... I'm so sorry. We felt it would be best if we let you know in advance instead of surprising you when it happened."

"When it happens... so we just... have two months? That's- that's it? H-how does gem birth work, why does she have to die for this?!"

"When her baby is born, only one gem exists to support one of them. Rose's form will disappear in order for the baby to inherit it." She traced the rim of one of her gems with her finger. "Without it, he or she wouldn't survive. As it stands, it's been using its mother's gem as a source of energy. They can't both exist at the same time."

Garnet placed a hand on the man's back as he unknowingly held his breath. Thoughts raced around in his head like a swarm of angry bees, all trying to sting him at the same exact time. No, they were wasps. They kept stinging and stinging his heart and brain. There was no end to this pain.

"And Greg... You can't let her know that you know. She didn't want to upset you... but Pearl and I knew it was wrong to hide it. As if... this news wasn't enough already, we... we knew y-you couldn't h-handle it..."

It felt as if these wasps were really bullet ants with wings, and they kept going and going and were killing him from the inside out and soon enough-

"G-garnet..." He managed to force out. The gem flicked a hand over her eyes, though the newly formed visor did nothing to stop the incoming flow of tears.

"I-I..." Her form flickered on and off. "I'm sorry. I thought I was ready t-to get this o-over with... Sapphi, you told me this wouldn't happen! Ruby, I-I didn't... No! This wasn't supposed to happen! What's wrong with me?" Garnet's counterparts argued inside the fusion. She kept glancing at one gem, then the other. Back and forth. It distracted Greg from his inner turmoil. He reached out to her as she began to sob.

"Garnet, y-you... you don't..." Greg's voice cracked. "You never cry. Just come here."

He had forgotten about the chaos in his head. Garnet didn't cry, much less start sobbing hysterically like this. Did Garnet even have emotion!? Either way, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Greg!" She raised her voice, probably unintentionally, he assumed. "I'm supposed to be here for you! I-I wasn't supposed to... This... it's... wrong! I can't unfuse! I have to stay together for- for her! F-for you! For e-everyone! Why can't I just... do that?"

"Garnet... I don't know. I'm not a fusion. I don't understand it. I just... know that I'm here if you need me. We need all the help we can get right now, both of us."

He simply supported the gem as her form glitched and shifted and she cried onto his shoulder. She drew deep, shaky breaths, and eventually managed to calm herself to the point where she could think and speak clearly.

"I apologize. I-I thought I was ready."

"Well, I appreciate you saying something, even though you weren't supposed to. Maybe you just need some time to yourself. You being Garnet, or just Ruby and Sapphire. This situation... kinda sucks."

"Yes..." She opened the door of the van. "Well, now you know. Thank you for... that."

Greg nodded as the distraction wore off. "I-I'll see ya later, I guess. Or Ruby and Sapphire. Whoever you are, just know that I'm here, okay?"

She didn't look back. Her fingernails dug into her arms. She gave a small affirmative noise before she walked away.

He pulled the doors shut, and his thoughts returned to him. Rose was going to die. She didn't even want him to know. Even Garnet was messed up about this. This just sucked.

Greg buried his face in his comforter and wept the wasps away.


	4. Selfish

All Greg heard was his own sobbing and the sound of the waves going up and down, up and down across the sand. His heart felt as if it had been shattered like Pink Diamond.

Rose didn't deserve this. She cared about her partner so much, she refused to tell him the harsh reality just to spare him some suffering. She respected every wish he had and had enjoyed, or at least pretended to, every human activity he had introduced her to. She didn't deserve a worthless, helpless man-child like Greg. They say good people always die young, though. It's completely true.

Yet she patiently waited outside the van until he was ready. Another quality that made her perfect; she didn't pry into your deepest emotions and stuff; she just waited it out and made everything better. Rose was a goddess. Greg was a filthy street rat.

"Greg?" Her voice called from beyond the vehicle's walls. "I can hear you, I know you're in there."

The human desperately tried to breathe and dry away his tears. His now red eyes would tell her too much alone.

"I'm coming in, okay?" Rose asked.

"Okay." Greg sighed. At that, his huge pink and white girlfriend burst through the door.

"Greg, what's wrong? Why were you crying?" The gem locked him in a suffocating hug. Though this time, he didn't mind being crushed, as long as it was by his beloved Rose. "Don't tell me you weren't!"

"Yeah," Greg admitted, "You caught me red handed, I guess. Just... please don't worry about it right now, okay?"

To his surprise, Rose kept on digging. "No Greg. I might listen to that if you weren't just sobbing hysterically. Stars, they must have heard you up in space! So can't you just tell me what's wrong, darling?"

Greg drew a blank. He would'nt rat out Garnet now. Not ever, nor would he blame Pearl or Amethyst. Heck, Amethyst probably didn't even know either. He groaned, hugging her back. He could feel Rose's tense body relax. He just had to say something, anything.

"Rose... I'm just nervous, okay? I don't know what I'm doing. I can barely do anything for myself. I don't know how this whole gem birth thing is gonna work. For all we know, it might be full human or full alien or something. I just..." Rose, although she hid it, wasn't buying his story. He just had to hint. "How do we know... you're even gonna make it through this?"

"You..." Rose sighed. "I guess I should have figured you'd find out. I didn't think this through... I'm sorry."

"Did you... know when we decided?"

"I hate to say it, but yes."

"Then... why didn't you feel comfortable telling me if you felt comfortable telling the others?"

Rose's pupils shrank. Her grip on Greg loosened, and he pulled away enough so he could see her eyes. That beautiful, joyful glint was gone.

"I... I can't answer that... Why didn't I?... You deserved to know more than anyone else... After all, you're the one who probably expected to have me by your side to help raise the baby... I'm so, so sorry..." Rose averted her gaze, an act she had never done to him before. She had never had any reason to feel ashamed around Greg. Around the Crystal Gems. She was just as confused and hurt as he was.

"No... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rushed into this without making you really... consider if this was okay with you. With us."

"It's... okay, but it's not. The idea of creating a new being, so much better than I could ever be... it's so amazing and... just the thought is enough to get you through the day, no matter how much you suffer for it. But... it's not okay hurting everyone I love without even knowing. And... they love me enough to hide it." Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Well... maybe it'll be worth it all at the end of the day." Greg mustered a sad smile, and ran his thumb under her eye to get rid of her annoying tears.

"You know... maybe it will be."


	5. Aftermath

Only once or twice in Garnet's life did she remember being able to shed a single tear without falling apart. This was the second or third time, as she sat in her room, visorless, weeping. She couldn't fall apart this time. She couldn't let anyone know how she really felt. She was their leader now.

So she hid in her room, hours after helping to deliver Rose's son. Nobody really cared about Greg at this point. Everyone was hidden, leaving the single dad to fend for himself. She could be helping them right now. But how could she when her counterparts couldn't even help each other now?

She seldom cried. Ruby and Sapphire had their moments, even during being fused. When they couldn't calm each other but couldn't split, it resulted in the rare sight of Garnet showing emotion.

This time, both of them wept inside of the fusion, comforting each other to no avail. They had a lot to cry about over the years. But Garnet had to remain the stoic, mature co-leader she'd always been since forever ago. She had smiled through the trauma of the war and the corruption and even learning she would lose yet another gem she cared for. Everything now rushed out of the mysterious gem while it still could. The not-so-daring escape, however, unfortunately lasted long into tommorow.

**\--**

The warp pad glowed as Pearl left the temple. She had just seen the horrible process of Rose giving birth, and her cries still echoed through her head. **_She was in pain and I couldn't do anything. I ran before I could even see the baby. _**

She arrived at Rose's healing fountain, not that it would heal emotional injuries. Nothing could make her feel worse, or so she thought. The pink sky and the imagery of Rose all around her, though, went above and beyond to finally bring out the tears that the shock wouldn't allow her to cry. It did make it worse. Literally everything made it worse now.

She walked to the rim of the fountain, sitting on the edge. She wouldn't dare disrespect her dead friend by putting her feet in her healing essence.

She remembered the words of yet another loved one she'd lost, this time under mysterious circumstances. They never found her gem or shards. She could be a Homeworld hostage right then, for all the gems knew.

"Oh, this ownerless Pearl again? I'm gonna ask again, who the heck do you belong to? If you were mine, I wouldn't give you permission to be so flirty and adorable, now would I?"

Despite her attachment to certain gems like her, Rose was the most important. It was Pearl's job to protect her and keep her secret hidden.

But now she was gone and her Pearl had no purpose, except, she supposed, to serve her descendant. But it wouldn't be the same.

All the more reason to cry now.

**\--**

The Prime Kindergarten awoken from its long-lived sleep as its final product sobbed in the back of her hole. The gem was traumatized. She had witnessed the most important person in her life die right in front of her, suffering. Yet she still smiled as she faded away. The only person she could talk to was away and wouldn't even be back for almost five months, let alone she had no way to contact her at around two in the morning. The other person? She was dead.

Amethyst had tried to sleep it off. Her nightmares, though, had only alerted her teammates to her mental state and made her quite afraid to go back to sleep. Not that the others cared. She hoped that they felt much worse than her.

Maybe Greg cared. Surely, he might want company too, right? Amethyst made her way to Vidalia's home where he was staying and knocked on the door.

Greg came to the door, disheveled. His eyes were red and tear stains had appeared on his cheeks. "Amethyst, it's like, 2:30 in the morning... what's up?"

She hesitated. She hadn't really planned what she was going to say. She didn't even know if she could speak around the lump in her throat.

"I just... wanna spend some time with someone who actually cares about me." She croaked. Greg invited her in.

"So, you just wanna talk or something?" He asked, sitting on the couch with her. "They do care too you know, but they're just trying to deal with the same thing you are right now."

Tears trickled down her face again. "Sure."

"Sure talking or sure they care?"

She grunted. "I don't know!" She tried desperately to stop herself from breaking down on him. She failed.

"Ah, Amethyst... I'm sorry you feel like this." He scooted over, hugging the sobbing gem. "You're not alone."


	6. It's Okay

Pearl sat on the edge of the warp pad and sobbed to her fragile heart's content, which apparently could hold more tears than her gem could hold objects. She couldn't hold them all in anymore. She hadn't even spoken to anyone since Rose died. It hurt so much.

She didn't expect anyone to see her anyway. Greg was stuck with the baby at Vidalia's home. Garnet and Amethyst were holed up elsewhere in places she didn't really care about right now. She just wanted to know where Rose really was.

As if responding to her awful condition, the sky had decided to rain quite heavily. All the seagulls hid somewhere, so not even their squawking could comfort her. She was completely alone, until she heard footsteps in the wet sand.

The footsteps came from Amethyst, who had apparently been in town and was now returning, possibly to retreat to her room or the Prime Kindergarten. Pearl peeked at the approaching gem through her fingers. It bothered her to notice the purple gem smile at such a time.

Amethyst sighed as her teammate's pathetic sobs reached her ears. She knew her good mood was about to come to an end. She didn't approach Pearl at first; she just hid and watched for a while. She didn't know how or want to comfort her, but she couldn't stand to see anyone she cared about cry like that.

The warp pad activated, nearly taking Pearl to wherever Garnet had just arrived from.

"Amethyst, stop staring at her," She ordered. "It's creepy."

Amethyst reluctantly trudged over to her teammates. Garnet sent the bubble she held away and sat next to her crying friend. Amethyst did the same. _Great, suddenly they're social. I knew I should've stayed at the fountain._

"Hey," Amethyst said softly. "It's okay Pearl. We're still gonna be here for you." She put a hand on her back. "It's okay to cry."

Garnet did the same. "Take as long as you need."

They continued to comfort her long into the night.

**\--****\--**

Meanwhile, Greg sat down, bottle feeding Steven.

"Good God kid, you must have cleaned out a hundred cows by now..." Obviously, Steven enjoyed his formula. A lot. Of course, Greg was happy to know he was buying the right stuff. But that didn't mean it was cheap. He'd only get the best for Rose's baby.

Greg himself kept ignoring the rumbling in his belly. He hadn't even bothered to feed himself almost at all since losing her. He took maybe two, three showers per week now. Every second he wasn't obsessing over his child, he spent missing that child's mother. The only motivation that existed in him came from caring for his son. No matter what happened to Greg, Steven would come first.

And of course, the little thing came first when he wanted an extra serving, or when that certain smelly smell almost knocked the grown man over, or when it cried for no reason at all. What confused Greg the most was the fact that Steven wouldn't wear anything over his gem. _Her _gem. He'd learned to unbutton his onesies and he'd pull up every single shirt above it.

This time, Steven was satisfied with one bottlefull. The child slept in his father's arms, filling him with relief. He was hopeful he'd have a few hours to himself.

He placed his sleepy boy in the crib, making sure he was extra comfy.

_You're disgusting,_ he thought to himself. Every time he thought he had hit a record low, it was topped mighty fast.

He turned on the baby monitors, taking one with him to the bathroom, just in case. He would run around the world nude for this kid if he had to. You never know.

He turned the showerhead on and removed his clothing. He stepped into the stream of hot water.

The white noise of the shower and the water hitting his face running was the perfect cover for his crying.


End file.
